Canoeing/Kayaking

Camp Lakewood Campground

52 RV Sites, 3 Tent Sites

Camp Lakewood Campground in Effingham, Illinois, offers 52 RV sites and three tent sites within a mile of both I-70 and I-57, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 120 feet. Premium pull-through categories, including one with a patio, join full-hookup and water-and-electric back-in tiers, with an outdoor pool, boat ramp, and game room. Fifty-two sites span back-in 30-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, back-in water-and-electric, premium pull-thru, premium pull-thru with patio, and pull-thru 30/50-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 120 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. One hundred twenty feet is among the most generous capacities anywhere and accommodates anything on the road. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. Three tent sites round out the lodging. A laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. If you arrive after the office closes with a reservation, your name will be on an envelope with your site details. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a boat ramp for canoeing, kayaking, and fishing, and a game room, playground, and swimming filling the rest. Pets are welcome. Effingham is the crossroads city of downstate Illinois, where I-70 and I-57 meet — one of the most convenient overnight stops in the Midwest. Demand tracks interstate traffic rather than a season. Reserve ahead for holiday travel periods.

from $35/night

Sankoty Lakes

Sankoty Lakes Resort in East Peoria brings a genuinely exceptional resort experience to the Illinois River Valley — built on the crystal-clear waters of the Sankoty Aquifer, one of the deepest and cleanest natural water sources in the Midwest, where spring-fed lakes have the remarkable clarity of a mountain trout stream in the flatlands of central Illinois. Twenty minutes from Peoria and two and a half hours from Chicago, Sankoty Lakes offers resort-quality amenities and a natural setting that consistently surprises guests who didn't know this caliber of Illinois camping experience existed. Accommodations range from glamping safari tents and well-appointed RV sites to upscale lakeside cabins sleeping up to eight guests — each with fully equipped kitchens, decks, and outdoor fire pits — and the exclusive 1840 Ranch House, a private guest property suited for larger groups and special occasion gatherings. The Woolly Bugger, Sankoty's signature on-site restaurant and bar, provides full-service dining and evening atmosphere that sets this resort clearly apart from conventional campground food. A beach pavilion and bathhouse, outdoor fireplace, free bicycles for guest use, picnic spots, a 24-hour front desk, and a coffee shop deliver service quality alongside the outdoor recreation. Pets are welcome at Sankoty Lakes Resort. The Sankoty Aquifer lakes provide a water recreation environment of genuinely unusual quality — the kind of visibility that makes kayaking, canoeing, and swimming feel like engagement with a natural aquarium rather than typical Midwest lake recreation. A dedicated fly-fishing trout stream on the property adds a specialty fishing experience alongside the lakes' broader angling, birdwatching, and hiking trails that keep guests occupied from dawn into the evening hours. Peoria, 20 minutes from the resort, offers more cultural depth than its Midwest city reputation sometimes suggests. The Caterpillar Visitors Center chronicles the engineering achievements of one of the world's great manufacturing companies in an interactive exhibition that resonates well beyond industrial tourism. The Peoria Riverfront Museum combines natural history, art, and a giant-screen theater in a well-funded facility anchoring the riverfront. The Peoria Zoo and the Historic District's restaurants and live music venues fill an evening excursion with ease. Starved Rock State Park, roughly an hour east, provides the Illinois River's most dramatic canyon scenery with 18 canyons, waterfalls, and trails for a full day of hiking. Sankoty Lakes Resort operates through the Illinois camping and resort season, with summer representing peak demand for the lakes' swimming, kayaking, and fishing recreation. The Woolly Bugger restaurant and the resort's premium amenity level have created a devoted local following — Sankoty lakes guests often describe the resort as a destination in its own right rather than a base camp for elsewhere. Reserve early for summer weekends and cabins, which fill ahead of RV and glamping tent availability.

Hickory Grove Campground & RV Park

11 RV Sites

Hickory Grove Campground & RV Park in Sheffield, Illinois, offers 11 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 90 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, in Bureau County's Illinois River valley. Back-in and pull-through categories join tent camping, cabins, walking trails, and a dog park. Eleven sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp in back-in and pull-through configurations, sized to 90 feet. The 90-foot capacity is generous for a park this size and handles a long coach with a tow comfortably. Tent camping and cabins round out the accommodations. Clean restrooms, showers, and laundry handle the practical side. At 11 sites, reserve rather than counting on availability. Pets are welcome. A playground, dog park, and walking trails fill the grounds, with hiking, biking, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, horseshoes, and picnicking from the area. Boating and a state park are nearby. Sheffield sits in the rolling agricultural and woodland countryside of north-central Illinois, between the Hennepin and Walnut river communities in the Illinois River valley's northern corridor. The Illinois and Mississippi Canal State Trail runs nearby, and the Bureau County landscape carries good hunting and fishing alongside day-trip range across the region. The campground serves the Illinois season, with summer travel and fall hunting both drawing steadily. Spring and fall deliver the most comfortable conditions in the river valley. With 11 sites, reserve ahead for holiday weekends.

from $63 $55/night

Muncie RV Resort

40 RV Sites, 2 Cabins, 10 Tent Sites, 2 Yurts

Muncie RV Resort in Anderson, IN, offers 40 full-hookup RV sites, 2 cabins, 10 tent sites, and 2 yurts, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 100 feet. Site categories cover back-in 30/50-amp, back-in 50-amp with a deluxe patio, pull-thru 30/50-amp, pull-thru 50-amp, and pull-thru 50-amp with a deluxe patio, plus ADA-accessible sites. All carry water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. The resort is rated big rig friendly, and at 100 feet the pull-thrus take anything on the road. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a dump station, and propane fills handle resupply, and there's a storm shelter on the property. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The resort sits on about a mile of White River frontage, with a lake, pond, and beach for swimming, boating, kayaking, and paddle boats, plus an outdoor pool, a water park with inflatable toys, mini-golf, a clubhouse, on-site dining, volleyball, a playground, and walking trails. Hiking, fishing, and birding fill out the rest. Anderson sits in Madison County along the Mounds State Park corridor in north-central Indiana. Rates for every accommodation type are on the booking page. Deluxe patio sites are limited — reserve early.

from $27/night

eXplore Brown County

11 RV Sites, 14 Tent Sites, 5 Onsite RV/Trailers

eXplore Brown County in Nashville, Indiana, offers 16 full-hookup RV sites, 14 tent sites, and five named retro camper rentals — Betty, Gladys, Lucy, Sophia, and Wanda — across 500-plus acres of hardwood hills, with 30-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet. Zip lines, a four-acre fishing lake, and an event gallery make this the most activity-dense outdoor complex in the state. Sixteen back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30-amp, sized to 40 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables; water-and-electric sites are also available. Fourteen tent sites and the five retro campers round out the accommodations. A dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and WiFi handle the practical side. Recreation is the entire proposition. Fourteen zip lines, two sky bridges, and a rappelling tower run through the canopy above the forested ridges, including the longest, fastest, and highest twin zip line in Indiana. A four-acre lake supports fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and boat rentals, with mountain biking, hiking, walking trails, volleyball, horseshoes, corn hole, and a playground besides. A recreation center and cabins fill out the property, and off-roading is nearby. The Gallery serves as a wedding and event venue, seating up to 165 guests indoors with additional porch seating. Pets are welcome. The property sits within the landscape of Brown County State Park, Indiana's largest, 15 minutes from the artists' village of Nashville. Southern Indiana's hardwood hills make this one of the Midwest's most celebrated fall color destinations. October foliage and summer adventure programming drive demand. With 16 RV sites on a property this busy, reserve well ahead.

Elkhart RV Resort

36 RV Sites, 22 Cabins, 4 Tent Sites

Elkhart RV Resort in Granger, IN, offers 36 full-hookup pull-thru RV sites, 22 cabins, and 4 tent sites, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 70 feet. Every site is a pull-thru, in three categories: 30-amp, 50-amp, and deluxe 50-amp with a patio. All carry water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi and a barbecue. Nothing needs unhitching, and at 70 feet the sites take long coaches. The resort is rated big rig friendly. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, a snack bar, on-site dining, a bar, a library, firewood, propane fills and exchange, and a dump station cover everything. Wristbands are not required to use the amenities. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. The recreation runs long: a water park, an outdoor pool, mini-golf, a game room and arcade, a pavilion, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, a playground, walking trails, live music, and paddle boats, kayaking, boating, and fishing on the water. Granger sits in St. Joseph County in northwestern Indiana, minutes from South Bend and Notre Dame. Rates for every accommodation type are on the booking page. Notre Dame home football weekends are the tightest of the year.

from $45/night

Sun Retreats Rock River

44 RV Sites, 52 Tent Sites, 7 Cottages

Sun Retreats Rock River in Hillsdale, Illinois, offers 142 RV sites, seven cottages, and 52 tent sites on the Rock River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 55 feet behind a gated entrance. Deluxe waterfront and 50-amp pull-through categories join a splash pad, beach, mini-golf, and fitness center on concrete pads with patios. One hundred forty-two sites span deluxe water-and-electric 30-amp, deluxe water-and-electric 50-amp, deluxe water-and-electric 50-amp pull-through, and deluxe waterfront categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 55 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Seasonal concrete-pad sites with patios are the property's signature. Seven cottages and 52 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, restrooms, showers, firewood, RV storage, and boat storage handle the practical side. The property was formerly Sunset Lakes RV Resort. An outdoor pool and splash pad anchor the summer, with a lake, beach, and boat docks supporting boating, paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Mini-golf, a fitness center, craft room, library, jumping pillow, gaga ball, tennis, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, shuffleboard, horseshoes, and corn hole fill the grounds, with walking trails, a playground, dog park, snack bar, and on-site dining besides. Pets are welcome. The Quad Cities sit 15 minutes south, with the Rock River's limestone bluffs framing the property. Summer is the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $45/night

Forest Haven Campground

39 RV Sites, 14 Tent Sites

Forest Haven Campground in Decatur, MI, offers 39 full-hookup RV sites and 14 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 80 feet. The campground publishes both back-in and pull-thru site categories, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table; confirm which layout you're booking when you reserve. At 80 feet the sites take long coaches. Laundry, a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, a barn, and golf cart rentals cover the practical side. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. An outdoor pool, mini-golf, a game room, sport courts, basketball, ping pong, a playground, a pond, and walking trails fill 70 wooded acres, with swimming, fishing, paddle boats, paddle boarding, hiking, and biking. Decatur sits in Van Buren County in southwestern Michigan's fruit belt, where hardwood forest and pond-dotted farmland meet the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Paw Paw wine corridor. From I-94, take exit 56 and head south on M-51 for 6.7 miles through downtown Decatur, then turn left at the BP station on Williams. Rates for sites and tent spots are on the booking page. Summer weekends in the fruit belt book early.

from $35/night

Jellystone Park™ Pittsfield

90 RV Sites, 52 Cabins, 5 Tent Sites, 4 Glamping Sites, 6 Cottages

Jellystone Park Pittsfield in Illinois offers 90 RV sites, 52 cabins, five tent sites, and four glamping sites on a private lake, with 30 and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 60 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, open all year. Back-in and pull-through categories at both amperages join a splash pad, beach, jumping pillow, and boat rentals. Ninety sites run in back-in 30-amp, back-in 50/30-amp, and pull-through 50/30-amp categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Fifty-two cabins, five tent sites, and four glamping sites make the lodging inventory unusually deep. A general store, boutique shop, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. Day passes run 11am to 6pm and include the jumping pillow, wibit, pool, slide, splash pad, paddle boards, and kayaks. A splash pad and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a private lake, beach, and boat rentals supporting swimming, boating, paddle boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, inflatable water toys, and fishing. A jumping pillow, arcade, game room, gem mining, sports courts, volleyball, gaga ball, horseshoes, golf cart rentals, walking trails, hiking, biking, a recreation center, playground, pavilion, dog park, bar, and snack bar fill the rest. Pike County sits where the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers define the western Illinois landscape. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $43/night

Natural Springs Resort

98 RV Sites

Natural Springs Resort in New Paris, Ohio, offers 68 RV sites across 46 acres around a 12-acre spring-fed lake, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 72 feet. Full-hookup and water-and-electric back-in categories at both amperages join a water park, splash pad, beach, and boat ramp — with scuba diving on the lake. Sixty-eight back-in sites span 30-amp, 50-amp, water-and-electric 30-amp, and water-and-electric categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted, sized to 72 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier before booking, as the water-and-electric categories do not carry sewer at the site. Seventy-two feet is generous for the region. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. A water park and splash pad anchor the summer, with an outdoor pool alongside. The spring-fed lake is the property's centerpiece, with a beach, boat ramp, paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and scuba diving — the clarity of spring-fed water makes diving viable here in a way it simply is not on most Midwestern lakes. Basketball, volleyball, biking, golf cart rentals, and a playground fill the rest. Pets are welcome. New Paris sits in Preble County's western Ohio countryside, a few miles from the Indiana border and within comfortable driving range of Richmond, Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead for June through August weekends.

from $48/night

Sweet Minihaha Campground

26 RV Sites, 50 Tent Sites

Sweet Minihaha Campground in Brodhead, Wisconsin, is a riverside family campground with RV and tent sites on the Sugar River, and kayak rentals available on site. Sites accommodate rigs up to 27 feet, which makes this a better fit for smaller trailers and vans than for big coaches. The campground sits in Green County on US-14, about an hour south of Madison. RV sites take rigs to 27 feet, and tent sites serve campers who want the riverbank without hauling a trailer. Facilities are deliberately simple: bathrooms on site, firewood available, and recycling provided. Guests who need full hookups or extensive infrastructure should note that this is a riverside campground rather than a resort, and it is priced and equipped accordingly. The Sugar River is the reason to come. Kayak rentals are available on site, and the river's flatwater character makes it forgiving for paddlers of any experience level — a genuine advantage over the faster Wisconsin rivers to the north. Fishing and canoeing round out the water recreation. The Sugar River State Trail, a 23-mile rail-trail crossing five historic river bridges between New Glarus and Brodhead, runs close by for cyclists and, in winter, cross-country skiers. Pets are welcome. New Glarus is nine miles north on WI-69 — the most authentically Swiss village in the Midwest, founded in 1845, home to the New Glarus Brewing Company and the Wilhelm Tell outdoor drama each September. Monroe, 14 miles southwest, is the Swiss cheese capital of the United States and hosts Cheese Days in even-numbered years. Sweet Minihaha runs from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Summer river recreation and rail-trail cycling drive peak demand, and the fall cheese-country touring season follows through October and November. Reserve ahead for summer weekends and for the Wilhelm Tell and Cheese Days event dates.

from $45/night

Jellystone Park™ Barton Lake

328 RV Sites, 65 Cabins, 26 Tent Sites, 21 Cottages, 1 Lodge

Jellystone Park Barton Lake in Fremont, Indiana, offers 328 full-hookup RV sites, 87 cabin, cottage, and lodge units, and 26 tent sites on a lake, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 42 feet. Lakefront standard, buddy, and buddy trio categories join preferred tiers, alongside a water park, indoor and outdoor pools, splash pad, and laser tag. Three hundred twenty-eight sites span lakefront standard back-in 30-amp, lakefront standard back-in, lakefront standard buddy, lakefront standard buddy trio, and preferred categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 42 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. The buddy trio category is unusual — three rigs traveling together, side by side. Note the 42-foot cap. Eighty-seven cabins, cottages, and lodges and 26 tent sites round out the lodging. A laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, and firewood handle the practical side. A daily resort fee covers mini-golf, the playground, and the wider amenity program. A water park, splash pad, and both indoor and outdoor pools anchor the recreation, with a beach, boat ramp, boat docks, boat rentals, and kayak rentals opening the lake for boating, paddle boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing. Mini-golf, laser tag, an arcade, jumping pillow, gem mining, sports courts, basketball, volleyball, a craft room, recreation center, golf cart rentals, playground, pavilion, on-site dining, and a snack bar fill the rest. Steuben County calls itself the Land of 101 Lakes. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $46/night